Description
With the twentieth century arrived the first electric tramcars in London. Thirty years later the first trolley buses arrived - along with a fleet of new trams that were the most modern of their day. This era was one of rapid change, rich in achievement adn personalities. Among the more colourful of the undertakings involved was London United, which introduced the first public service of electric tramcars in 1901 adn became one of the predecessors of the present London Transport.
This is a study of this eventful period, relating the development of the tramway and trolleybus system to the changing social background. It contains a wealth of hitherto unpublished material, both factual and anecdotal, taken from contemporary newspaper and other accounts, and a remarkable collection of illustrations - 48 pages in all. It should be of interest not only to the transport enthusiast but also to the general reader interested in social history.
This book was first published in 1971.
Table of Contents
1. Enter Robinson
2. The opening shots
3. Battle grounds
4. Electrics at last
5. Junkets - and hard bargains
6. New ground - and 'underground'
7. Mainly Robinson
8. Hampton Court and Uxbridge
9. Into Surrey
10. Rounding off
11. Chill winds - and new brooms
12. A 'Tramway King' pass
13. LUT, MET and BET
14. Wartime readjustment
15. Spencer makes his mark
16. Mild revival
17. Modernization
18. Finale
